Friday, July 13, 2012
Amberley Sussex in the hollyhock season.
It is the hollyhock season!
And there is no better place to view hollyhocks than Amberley village in Sussex.
These tall spears of large, sometimes gaudy flowers have self seeded in abundance, both within gardens and along the by walls by the side of the village lanes.
Share with us, then, our very enjoyable walk around the village. Amberley must be amongst the beautiful villages in Sussex.
This hollyhock was by the wall.
A spike of colour, reaching up to the sky.
The flowers will fade and die.
The beautiful old cottages, large and small are rooted in history.
Growing wild, along the lane leading to the church.
Some things just amuse me - like this pigeon who wants to prove the cottage owner wrong.
In a cottage garden.
Hollyhocks by the window.
Amberley has a castle - more accurately it should be described as fortified medieval manor house.
It was built in the 12th century and fortified in 1377. It was used by the Bishops of Chichester as a fortress.
The walls are still strong, but inside are ruins which form part of the sumptuous interesting grounds of a country hotel - ranked among the top 10 hotels worldwide.
Not everywhere was perfect!
A foxglove outside a ramshackle old cottage.
What a sensible way of having wellington boots at the ready, without cluttering up the entrance hall.
A walk round a village is not complete without looking at the church.
Amberley church is blessed with a beautiful Norman arch and early medieval wall paintings.
And there is no better place to view hollyhocks than Amberley village in Sussex.
These tall spears of large, sometimes gaudy flowers have self seeded in abundance, both within gardens and along the by walls by the side of the village lanes.
Share with us, then, our very enjoyable walk around the village. Amberley must be amongst the beautiful villages in Sussex.
This hollyhock was by the wall.
A spike of colour, reaching up to the sky.
The flowers will fade and die.
The beautiful old cottages, large and small are rooted in history.
Growing wild, along the lane leading to the church.
Some things just amuse me - like this pigeon who wants to prove the cottage owner wrong.
In a cottage garden.
Hollyhocks by the window.
Amberley has a castle - more accurately it should be described as fortified medieval manor house.
It was built in the 12th century and fortified in 1377. It was used by the Bishops of Chichester as a fortress.
The walls are still strong, but inside are ruins which form part of the sumptuous interesting grounds of a country hotel - ranked among the top 10 hotels worldwide.
Not everywhere was perfect!
A foxglove outside a ramshackle old cottage.
What a sensible way of having wellington boots at the ready, without cluttering up the entrance hall.
A walk round a village is not complete without looking at the church.
Amberley church is blessed with a beautiful Norman arch and early medieval wall paintings.
The floor of the church - the aisle and the nave - was laid with a range of interesting tiles.
The pattern of tiles in the second picture create a 3D effect - particularly the slightly more distant tiles
Like many a village church, Amberley has a yew tree in the churchyard.
A notice in the church informed us that the tree had been transplanted from the vicarage garden in about 1720 - sorry I forget the exact date.
Delicate hydrangea.
The village shop. It is well stocked and well supported.
If you are there, seek out the savoury tartlets. We bought two. I had goat's cheese and red onion which was extremely good - crisp pastry and creamy tasty filling.
I feel fortunate that we might pass by quite frequently so that I can buy again.
We have many more photos. Family and friends would find it difficult to know which one of us took which photos.
And I used both my cameras - oh bother, I had failed to recharge batteries for my Canon.
And it proves that my new little camera is just as capable of taking good picture - my favourite was taken using the little Lumix.
